AN EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION OF MATERIAL INCLUDING A PAIR OF WOODEN SANDALS WORN BY MOHANDAS K. GANDHI, FROM THE COLLECTION OF INDIA SCHOLAR FRANZISKA STANDENATH, GANDHI'S ONE-TIME PERSONAL ASSISTANT. Gandhi was famously a man of few personal possessions, and over the years his sandals have become, along with his spectacles and walking staff, one of the most powerful symbols of his life and vastly influential legacy. The present pair of simple wooden sandals, or chappals, retain a distinct impression of Gandhi's toes, heels, and the balls of his feet, and are an example of the type of sandals that Gandhi inspired countless Indians to fashion on their own, as an assertion of Indian economic independence and as a pragmatic means of resisting British rule. In 1931, Standenath published Indiens Freiheitskampf: Vier Monate Gast Mahatma Gandhis, an influential account of the four months she spent traveling throughout India with Gandhi as his personal assistant; in her final will and testament, she recounted the moment when "Mahatma Gandhi removed his sandals and gave them to me as a parting gift" ("...die für mich als Abschiedsgeschenk von seinen Fuß gestreiften Sandalen Mahatma Gandhis..."). The two maintained a life-long friendship, and letters from Gandhi to Standenath (in which Gandhi addresses her as "Savitri") are published in The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi [Electronic Book, New Delhi: Publications Division Government of India, 1999, 98 volumes], and can also be found in the collections of the Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, and the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Dehli. In addition to the sandals, Standenath was in possession of a fragment of thread from Gandhi's ashram, included here in a slip of paper with an inscription in Standenath's hand testifying that the thread had "fallen ... in her presence." The lot also includes a letter from Indira Gandhi, who writes to Standenath that she is "happy to hear from such a devoted friend of my country," and that she was "especially interested to learn of the prayer meeting in Sabarmati Ashram where you played Bach for Bapuji."

This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact customer services.

Buyers' Obligations

ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.

If you have any complaints or questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest customer services team.

Buyers' Premium and Charges

Buyer's Premium Rates25% on the first $150,000 of the Hammer Price20% from $150,001 to $3,000,000 of the Hammer Price12% on the excess over $3,000,001 of the Hammer Price

Payment Notices

Payment for purchases may be made in or by (a) cash, (b) cashier's check or money order, (c) personal check with approved credit drawn on a U.S. bank, (d) wire transfer or other immediate bank transfer, or (e) Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit, charge or debit card. A processing fee will be assessed on any returned checks. Please note that the amount of cash notes and cash equivalents that can be accepted from a given purchaser may be limited.

Shipping Notices

For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licences please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.